Sarcoglycan Delta (SGCd)

Delta-sarcoglycan isone of the four known components of the sarcoglycan complex, which is a subcomplex of the dystrophin-glycoprotein complex (DGC). The sarcoglycans are a family of transmembrane proteins involved in the protein complex responsible for connecting the muscle fibre cytoskeleton to the extracellular matrix, preventing damage the muscle fibre sarcolemma through shearing forces. This protein is expressed most abundantly in skeletal and cardiac muscle. The mutations in this gene have been associated with autosomal recessive limb-girdle muscular dystrophy and dilated cardiomyopathy. Alternatively spliced transcript variants encoding distinct isoforms have been observed.In melanocytic cells SGCD gene expression may be regulated by MITF.